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I’m with Mini’s global communications chief Andreas Lampka, flying down a silky-smooth road near Malaga, Spain, in a prototype of Mini’s latest creation, the Paceman. While putting the car’s new Getrag six-speed manual to the test, I ask what type of customer the Paceman will attract.

“This is for those that want the road performance of a MINI Cooper Hardtop and who also want more space,” he said confidently about a car that’s filling yet another razor-thin niche.

Mini’s PR spinmeisters are boldly proclaiming the upcoming 2014 MINI Cooper S Paceman as the first premium-grade “Sports Activity Coupe” ever created. But whatever they want to call it and however they want to bill it, the Paceman is something of an outlier, much like the Countryman upon which it’s based.

Why name a car that’s essentially a two-door version of the Countryman the Paceman? Lampka explained it like this: A few years ago, when BMW was naming the X6, the moniker X5 Coupe was thrown around, but BMW‘s brass wouldn’t have it. According to them, the X6 was drastically different than the X5 in terms of looks and driving performance, which justified a completely new name. Such was the situation Mini faced with a “Countryman Coupe.”

The Pure Red S Paceman All4 mule I’m driving, with its mocha leather seats and bright yellow butt camo, is one of 30 prototypes being put through its, yes, paces in various situations and climates. Thousands of hours have been devoted to honing the handling abilities of the second-biggest Mini. Lampka and his team drove this car down from Munich the day before — a 25-hour one-way trip. If you’re wondering about the camo, it’s hiding the badge placement and a pair of all-new taillights.

According to Mini, a coupe version of the Countryman was always in the cards. Naturally, the marketers, product planners, and engineers wanted the two-door to be extraordinarily athletic. It’s designed to play in a loosely defined segment with two key competitors: the Nissan Juke and the Range Rover Evoque, our 2012 Motor Trend SUV of the year. The Countryman and Paceman essentially occupy the middle ground between the budget Juke and the premium-priced Evoque.

Compared to the base Countryman, a comparable entry-level Paceman sits 1.6 inches shorter height-wise, is 0.4 inches lower to the ground, and tips the scales with 44 less pounds onboard with the manual transmission. Each corner sits on retuned shocks and springs (exact numerical differences weren’t disclosed), and standard 205/55R-17 rubber in S form. This one rolled on summer-spec Bridgestone Dueler H/P tires; expect a bigger 19-inch option to be available on production-spec Cooper S models and the John Cooper Works edition that Mini confirmed is in the, yes, works.

Length, width, track, and wheelbase are nearly identical to those of the Countryman. (Officials didn’t quote exact measurements that were less than an inch in difference.) Same goes for chassis rigidity. Save for the Countryman’s front fascia and running gear, everything on the Paceman is unique. Its roof has a 4-degree slope that’s reminiscent of the Evoque’s profile.

The rake also reduces headroom for the rear captain’s chairs by 0.4 inches. From what we could tell, the drop is barely noticeable: I’m 5’10,” and my head didn’t touch the scalloped ceiling. Rearward visibility, however, is compromised with the low roof/thick C-pillar combination. The stylized helmet also penalizes rear trunk capacity by 0.7 cu-ft to 15.8 cu-ft with the rear seats up. While elbowroom when seated in the two back buckets isn’t a problem, the same can’t be said for your knees. Much like in the Countryman, Mini’s rail system splits the foldable seats and can be fitted with useful accessories (cup holder, storage bin, armrest, etc.).

It seems engineers listened to the flood of consumer complaints and moved the Countryman’s center dash mirror adjustments, window switches, and door lock buttons to where they should have been in the first place: the doors. Sorry, ladies and gents, such changes won’t percolate into other Cooper variants anytime soon. All other dashboard and center console details are typical Countryman.

The Paceman has extraordinarily light electronic power steering (EPS) tuning. Driving it back-to-back with a front-wheel-drive Cooper S Countryman only highlighted the mule’s sloppy helm, which has a distinct dead spot at 12 o’clock. And there’s no Sport button to tighten the wheel’s feel. Mini says those gripes will be addressed once the fall 2012 production and spring 2013 release dates approach.

During my twisty 60-mile countryside route, the Paceman felt planted, with plenty of mid-corner grip following predictable and responsive turn-ins, and it had no trouble putting a massive grin on my face. It wasn’t immune to plowing moderately at the limits (what front-drive-based car isn’t?), but for an estimated 2900-pound XL-sized Mini, the Paceman can dance. And while the ALL4’s settings haven’t changed specifically for Paceman duty, the system feels like it pulls the rear end around more assertively than in any other Cooper.

Unfortunately, the little bulldog’s pre-production 181-horse mill acted as if it was breathing through a paper bag. Keeping the Bridgestones spinning fast enough for a decently fun time required incessant prodding of the 1.6-liter turbo with quick 3-to-2 downshifts and a pegging of the tach needle into its red danger zone. Torque just wasn’t there when I needed it.

Engineers say that the production Paceman will out-accelerate comparable Countryman variants to 60 mph by roughly 0.2 seconds, with a top speed upped to 135 mph. Mini says fuel efficiency will remain exactly the same as the Countryman, which is rated at 25-27/31-35 city/highway mpg, depending on configuration. In Europe, Mini expects to charge a 1500 euro premium (around $1850) on a comparable Countryman that starts at $22,450 in the States.

Even though the Paceman doesn’t exactly mimic the sprightliness of a Cooper Hardtop, it does a good job trying. But in reality, it doesn’t really need to. The purist of the purists will always have the regular Cooper. The buyers Mini is targeting — the ones wanting funkier looks, two doors, a sporty chassis, and a few more cubic-feet in the tail – will soon get what they want: a Cooper Hardtop, size XL.